Thoughts, links, inside information and program previews from the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Better than Monday night football: McCain and McSweeney

Senator John McCain [R-AZ]: The fact is that people, like me, and I have had the great honor and privilege now for serving in Congress for twenty four years—the obligation, not privilege, the obligation I have is to try to help recruit and elect and keep people of honesty and integrity and commitment and honor to the Congress of the United States. This is what you have in David McSweeney…This will be an independent voice. This will be a strong voice.**************************************************** Sen. McCain: …We do need to reform the institutions of Government. We do need to stop the earmarking. We’ve got to get a better stewardship of your tax dollars. I know that David is committed to that…**************************************************** Jeff Berkowitz: Senator McCain, you’ve called not just for a larger military, but for more troops into Iraq—

Sen. McCain: Yep.

Berkowitz: Almost under any scenario, even the best scenario for the Republican Party, there will be diminished Republican troops in the House and the Senate, come November 8th, how do you sell that—you may have trouble even selling that to the Republicans-how do you sell it to the Congress in general and the Nation—to send more troops into Iraq, given the political climate?

Sen. McCain: Well, I can make a case, historically, that if you read any chronicle of our involvement in Iraq, one of the major problems has been we never had enough troops there. Read any book, written by anybody, it will tell you that we didn’t have enough troops there to start with, nor have we—and three years ago I gave a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, saying you've got to have more troops there, and if you don’t, here is what is going to happen and guess what, that’s what happened.

Berkowitz: So, starting with General Shinseki and the Democrats, you are saying you could pull over Democrats to now say—if you are going to do this, you need more troops?

Sen. McCain: I don’t know if I would pull over Democrats. I saw an article in the New York Times this morning that said a lot of very conservative Democrats are running. I hope that that means that some of them would agree. But, look, I have to stand up for what’s right. When I first came out in favor of campaign finance reform—I didn’t have any support. When I first came out with a number of other positions that I’ve taken, I didn’t have a lot of support. You’ve got to convince the American people. That’s all. My first position is what’s right. My second concern is how you sell it. That’s always the best way to approach any issue. ******************************************************* Senator John McCain, speaking and answering questions at a lunchtime fundraiser for 8th CD Republican candidate David McSweeney at the Chicago Club on October 30, 2006, and as is airing, almost in its entirety, as the suburban edition of Public Affairs in 25 Chicago Metro suburbs tonight at 8:30 pm on either Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or Comcast Cable Ch. 35. ***********The suburban edition of Public Affairs, featuring Senator John McCain and 8th CD Candidate David McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills], airs tonight: